All,

As part of the ongoing programme of enhancements to the S.A. experience, I'm delighted to let you all know that the 32 kbps Dial-Up Stream has been upgraded from the MP3 format to the AAC+ format.

This upgrade will mean a substantial increase in audio quality, with the 32 kbps Stream now broadcasting in both Parametric Stereo and at a frequency of 44.1 kHz. It will also provide an excellent alternative when the main, 128 kbps MP3 Stream hits full capacity - simply tune into the 32 kbps AAC+ stream !!

Media Player compatibly can occasionally be an issue when tuning-in to an AAC+ Stream, particularly with older Media Players. Also, Windows Media Player (any version) does not natively support AAC+, however, an excellent free plug-in is available from Orban Technologies. Simply follow the link on their website, download and install the free plug-in and Windows Media Player will be able to connect to the AAC+ stream without any problems.

Also, the following Media Players do support AAC+ without having to do any 'tweaking' or installing any kind of plug-in :-

• WinAmp (Version 5.1 and above)
• foobar2000
• Windows Media Player Classic
• JetAudio Player
• RealPlayer (Version 10 and above)
• VLC Media Player
• XMMS Player (Linux)

This list is by no means definitive but simply a small sample of some of the most popular Media Players used that support AAC+.

In the meantime, enjoy !!

D


Wikipedia Entry

Coding Technologies

Orban Technologies (free Windows Media Player plug-in)